Pickup Tool for Pet Waste or the Like

ABSTRACT

An extended pickup tool adapted to pick up pet waste or the like from a surface from a standing, upright position. The pickup tool consists of an elongated body having a trigger mechanism disposed in a handle at an upper end thereof. A pair of pickup assemblies, each having a pair of orthogonal surfaces is pivotally attached to the lower end of the elongated handle. A coupling mechanism connected to both the trigger mechanism and the pair of opposing, pivotally connected pickup elements causes the pickup elements to move towards one another. When the pair of pickup assemblies is fully closed, lower surfaces of their respective orthogonal surfaces overlap one another. A plastic bag may be positioned over the pair of pickup assemblies. When in a proper position, the pickup elements are brought together and into an overlapping relationship capturing the waste in a portion of the plastic bag.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to published U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/302,861 for HINGE FOR EXTENDED GRABBER TOOL, published Dec. 4, 2003 upon application by Ashok Khubani et al. and is included herein in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to extended pickup tools for reaching an item from a location beyond arm's reach and, more particularly, a pickup tool adapted to retrieve and retain pet waste or the like from the ground.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It has become customary for a pet owner to clean up feces deposited by his or her pet when walking the pet. A wide variety of devices and methods have been devised but none solve the problem adequately. All known devices and/or methods either require several parts or pieces and/or fail to cleanly perform the cleanup operation leaving an unsatisfactory residue of fecal material on the surface.

One method used by some pet owners is to carry an empty plastic bag with them when they walk their pet. When needed, the owner bends over with the bag over their hand and attempts to retrieve the material from the ground and secure it in the bag. The bag may then be sealed and disposed of in an appropriate receptacle. This approach rarely results in complete cleanup of the pet feces and in addition, causes the pet owner to bend over to the ground to affect the cleanup.

Other devices of the prior art typically suffer from one or more of these shortcomings: they require cleaning after use, are ineffective in removing pet waste, require expensive supplies for use, and/or require bending over to use.

It would, therefore, be advantageous to provide a pet waste cleanup device that was simple to use, effective in its cleanup, requires no expensive supplies in its operation, and could be used by a person while in a standing, upright position.

DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART

Several devices for cleaning up pet feces or the like may be found in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,686,361 for ANIMAL WASTE HANDLING DEVICE issued Mar. 30, 2010 discloses an elongated, foldable animal waste handling device. A handle has a trigger that operates against a spring bias and is connected to a pair of pivotally disposed clamp members. Operating the trigger causes the clamp members to come together. A catch on each of the clamp members is used to retain an edge of a plastic bag. When the clamps are brought together, any animal waste is caught between the clamps and, hopefully forced into the plastic bag.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,866,717 for PORTABLE WASTE PACKAGING DEVICE issued Jan. 11, 2011 to Hector Martinez shows a device for collecting and packaging solid waste or toxic material. A first arm and a second arm are coupled with a lever, wherein at least one arm is slidably coupled with the lever. A bag may be positioned in an open position when the first arm is located distally from the second arm, and the bag may be closed by an operator manipulating the arms towards each other. The device may include a motor or a spring or springs to drive the arms towards or away from each other. A plate, a pole and a handle may be coupled with the arms. The plate may be positioned relative to the arms to stabilize the waste or toxic material for insertion into the bag. The bag may include an adhesive, paper, plastic, recycled plastic, cellulose in combination or singularity.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,109,547 for APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING ANIMAL DROPPINGS, issued Feb. 7, 2012 to Frank Miller provides a pet sanitation device having a frame, an elongated handle and an adjusting assembly. The frame includes a receiving bottom area receiving one part of a bag opening. A closing arrangement is provided for receiving another portion of the bag opening. The adjusting assembly is movably supported on the handle and includes a control member slidable along the handle and a transition element having distal and proximal ends thereof. The distal end is associated with the closing arrangement. In operation, upon slidable movement of the control member, the transition element is activated and the closing arrangement is moved within the frame to convert the bag opening from open to closed position and vice versa.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,292,339 for HANDS FREE PET WASTE COLLECTION SYSTEMS issued Oct. 23, 2012 discloses a system for picking up objects, for example, pet waste, debris, and similar noxious materials and automatically sealing those objects within a disposable liner. The liner is installed on a hand-held scooper device by an automatic applicator. The liners may also include a self-sealing feature adapted to assist in encapsulating the waste. The applicator also functions as a storage holder for the hand-held scoop.

Published United States Patent Application No. 2013/0249224 for PET SHOVEL published Sep. 26, 2013 upon application by John Ng provides a shovel having an elongated handle, a shovel head and a bag mounting frame disposed between the shovel head and a distal end of the elongated handle. The frame forms an opening between the shovel head and the distal end of the elongated handle. The bag mounting frame is adapted to retain a mouth of a bag open disposed between the shovel head and the distal end of the elongated handle in the opening between the shovel head and the distal end of the elongated handle. A bag body support extends from a bottom of the elongated handle to receive a body of the bag mounted on the bag mounting frame to form a sump in an end of the bag, distal from the shovel head and the mouth of the bag.

None of the patents and published patent applications, taken singly, or in any combination are seen to teach or suggest the pickup tool for pet waste or the like of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an extended pickup tool adapted to readily pick up pet waste or the like from a surface that is out of arm's reach while the user remains in a standing, upright position. The pickup tool consists of an elongated body having a handle containing a trigger mechanism disposed at an upper end thereof. The trigger mechanism may be operated by the user of the pickup tool. A pair of pickup assemblies, each having a pair of orthogonal elements is pivotally and oppossedly attached to the lower end of the elongated body. A coupling mechanism connected to both the trigger mechanism and the pair of opposing, pivotally connected pickup assemblies causes the pickup assemblies to move towards one another when actuated by the trigger assembly. When the pair of pickup assemblies is fully closed, lower ones of their respective orthogonal surfaces overlap one another.

A plastic bag may be positioned over the pair of pickup assemblies while in an open, spaced-apart disposition. When in a proper position over the pickup assemblies, when the pickup assemblies are brought together and into an overlapping relationship, the plastic bag is disposed between the lower surfaces of the pickup assemblies and the surface from which pet waste is to be removed. Because the lower of the orthogonal surfaces is thin and flat, the plastic bag is forced under the pet waste that is securely retained by the overlapped lower surfaces of the pickup assemblies. Once captured, the plastic bag may be removed by turning the bag inside out, not unlike pulling a shirt off a torso by lifting upward on the bottom edge of the shirt. This action traps the pet waste within the plastic bag for easy, sanitary disposal.

During the pet waste cleanup operation, no part of the extended pet waste cleanup tool comes in contact with the pet waste. A person affecting the cleanup never is required to make contact with the actual pet waste.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a pet waste cleanup tool that is operable by a standing, upright user.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a pet waste cleanup tool that effectively removes pet waste from a horizontal surface.

It is another object of the invention to provide a pet waste cleanup tool wherein no part of the tool contacts the pet waste during the cleanup operation.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a pet waste cleanup tool wherein a human operator of the tool is not required to be in contact with the pet waste.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a pet waste cleanup tool that may optionally be foldable for ease of carrying while walking a pet.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide a pet waste cleanup tool that requires no supplies outside of an empty plastic bag (e.g., a grocery bag or the like).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1A is a side perspective, schematic view of an elongated pickup tool in an open orientation in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 1B is a side perspective, schematic view of an elongated pickup tool in an open orientation of FIG. 1A and showing an optional hinge;

FIG. 2 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the elongated pickup tool of FIG. 1 in an open orientation;

FIG. 3 is a partial side elevational, schematic view of the elongated pickup tool of FIG. 1 in a closed orientation;

FIG. 4 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the elongated pickup tool of FIG. 1 in an open orientation with a plastic bag being installed thereupon;

FIG. 5 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the elongated pickup tool of FIG. 1 in an open orientation with a plastic bag completely installed and positioned thereupon;

FIG. 6 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the elongated pickup tool of FIG. 1 in an open orientation with a plastic bag completely installed and positioned thereupon, the tool being shown positioned to pick up animal waste;

FIG. 7 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the elongated pickup tool of FIG. 6 in an open orientation with a plastic bag completely installed and positioned thereupon, the tool being shown surrounding animal waste;

FIG. 8 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the elongated pickup tool of FIG. 7 in a closed orientation with a plastic bag completely installed and positioned thereupon, the tool being shown trapping animal waste within the plastic bag;

FIG. 9 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the elongated pickup tool of FIG. 6 in an open orientation with a plastic bag completely installed and positioned thereupon, the tool being shown surrounding animal waste and the plastic bag being removed therefrom; and

FIG. 10 is a partial front elevational, schematic view of the elongated pickup tool of FIG. 6 in an open orientation with a plastic bag completely removed from the tool, the removed bag containing and retaining the animal waste.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention provides an elongated pickup tool for picking up and encapsulating pet waste or the like while the user is in a standing, upright position. General purpose extended pickup tools are widely available in the marketplace and are believed to be well known to those of skill in the art. A typical extended pickup tool is disclosed in published U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/302,861 for HINGE FOR EXTENDED GRABBER TOOL included herein by reference. As the novel extended tool in accordance with the invention incorporates some of these features, detailed descriptions thereof are not typically included herein.

Referring first to FIGS. 1A and 1B, there are shown side perspective, schematic views of the pickup tool for pet waste or the like in accordance with the invention, generally at reference number 100. In FIG. 1B, an optional hinge is further shown.

Pickup tool 100 has an elongated, hollow body 102 divided into upper body portion 102 a and lower body portion 102 b by an optional hinge 104, best seen in FIG. 1B, disposed intermediate upper body portion 102 a and lower body portion 102 b. Optional hinge 104 allows pickup tool 100 to be collapsed (i.e., folded) for ease of carrying while walking a pet. It will be recognized that hinge 104 is optional and the invention is not considered limited to tools having a hinge 104. Rather, the invention is intended to include pickup tools both including and excluding hinge 104.

Hollow, elongated body 102 typically has a rectangular cross section. However, hollow structures having other than rectangular cross sections (e.g., circular, ovulate, etc.) may be substituted. The invention is not considered limited to bodies having rectangular cross sections.

A handle 106 is disposed at an upper, distal end of hollow elongated body 102. Handle 106 houses a trigger mechanism 108. Such handles and trigger mechanisms are believed to be well known to those of skill in the art, neither are further described or discussed herein.

A pair of pickup assembles 110 a, 110 b are connected to elongated hollow body 102, specifically to lower body portion 102 b by respective flexible supports 112 a, 112 b. Proximal ends of flexible supports 112 a, 112 b are fixedly attached to hollow elongated body by rivets 116. When required, reinforcing plates 118 a, 118 b may be interposed between head of rivets 116, not specifically identified, sandwiching proximal ends of flexible supports 112 a, 112 b between an inside surface of the reinforcing plates 118 a, 118 b and the surface of lower body portion 102 b of hollow elongated body 102. In FIGS. 1 a and 1B, only reinforcing plate 118 a is visible, reinforcing plate 118 b being directly behind flexible support 112 a against the surface of lower body portion 102 b. If the cross section of hollow elongated body 102 is rectangular, reinforcing plates 118 a, 118 b are typically flat rectangular structures. If, however, the cross section of hollow elongated body 102 is other than rectangular, reinforcing plates 118 a, 118 b must be shaped to conform to an outside surface of hollow elongated body 102.

Flexible supports 112 a, 112 b are typically thin, rectangular strips formed from spring steel or other suitable resilient material.

Also attached to pickup assembles 110 a, 110 b are proximal ends of respective actuator links 114 a, 114 b. Actuator links 114 a, 114 b typically pass through an interior region, not specifically identified of hollow elongated body 102 and their proximal ends are typically connected to trigger mechanism 108. Like flexible supports 112 a, 112 b, actuator links 114 a, 114 b are also thin, rectangular strips formed from spring steel or other suitable material.

Left pickup assembly 110 a and right pickup assembly 110 b each consist of a flat bottom blade 120 a, 120 b, respectively. Attached to flat bottom blades 120 a, 120 b are respective vertical backs 122 a, 122 b typically in an orthogonal arrangement.

Left pickup assembly 110 a is typically disposed facing right pickup assembly 110 b in a mirror image arrangement

Refer now also to FIG. 2. Actuation of trigger mechanism 108 in handle 106 pulls actuator links 114 a, 114 b in the direction shown by arrows 124 a, 124 b, respectively. Upward motion of actuator links 114 a, 114 b causes left pickup assembly 110 a to pivot (i.e., move inwardly) towards right pickup assembly 110 b. The attachment angles, not specifically identified, of pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b to respective flexible supports 112 a, 112 b are selected to ensure that as left pickup 110 a assembly pivots towards and meets right pickup assembly 110 b in response to actuation of trigger assembly, respective flat bottom blades 120 a, 120 b are both approximately parallel to a horizontal surface, not shown, assumed to be orthogonal to a major axis of elongated hollow body 102. A slight offset in the mounting of flexible links 112 a, 112 b allows one of flat bottom blades 120 a, 120 b to slide over the other of flat bottom blades 120 a, 120 b. The purpose of the design of pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b, the mounting angles thereof, and the provision for a first of flat bottom blades 120 a, 120 b to overlap a second of flat bottom blades 120 a, 120 b are discussed in more detail hereinbelow. The overlapped flat bottom blades 120 a, 120 b may be seen in FIG. 3.

The operation of the novel extended pickup tool for pet waste or the like is now described and illustrated. Referring now also to FIG. 4, there is shown a partial front elevational, schematic view of the elongated pickup tool 100 of FIG. 1 in an open orientation with a flexible bag, typically a thin plastic bag 130 being installed thereupon. The bottom 132 of plastic bag 130 is inserted in the space, not specifically identified, between pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b, with the top 134 of plastic bag 130 hanging below the lower edges, not specifically identified of pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b. Plastic bag 130 forms no part of the invention and is shown merely to clarify the operation on the novel elongated pickup tool.

Once bottom 132 is in place, the bag is pulled up in the direction shown by arrows 136, essentially being turned inside out until the plastic bag 130 is installed over pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b as shown in FIG. 5. As may readily be seen in FIG. 5, plastic bag 130 contains an indented, open space 138 between pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b.

Referring now aso to FIG. 6, extended pickup tool has been moved to the pet waste or other material 140 to be picked up and the indented open space 138 is positioned directly over waste 140.

Extended pickup tool 100 is then moved downwardly as indicated by arrows 142 until the lower surfaces, not specifically identified, of flat bottom blades 120 a, 120 b is positioned against the surface, not shown, upon which waste 140 is disposed. Once in position, trigger mechanism 108 is used to move left and right pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b towards one another until left pickup assembly 110 a is under right pickup assembly 110 b. It will be noted that the pickup tool 100 for pet waste or the like may be designed so that either left pickup assembly 110 a or right pickup assembly 110 b may be the lower one of pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b when the pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b are brought together to form a closed configuration. Consequently, the invention is not considered limited to a configuration where either right pickup assembly 110 a or left pickup assembly 110 b is lower. Rather, the invention is intended to include either possible configuration.

Referring now also to FIG. 8, it may be seen that pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b have been moved under waste 140 with a layer of plastic bag 130 between pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b and waste 140. Bag 130 is now pulled downward in a direction indicated by arrows 144 while pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b are held in a closed orientation by maintaining pressure on trigger assembly 108.

Referring now also to FIG. 9, it may be seen that top 132 of plastic bag 130 is hanging under pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b with waste 140 completely contained in what was originally identified as indented region 138 of plastic bag 130.

Referring now also to FIG. 10, a hand 146 of a user of the extended pickup tool 100 grasps the plastic bag below pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b, presumably twists the down hanging portion of bag 130, and releases the pressure on trigger assembly 108 thereby opening pickup assemblies 110 a, 110 b. Bag 130 might be knotted or sealed with a twist tie, etc., none shown. Plastic bag 130 containing waste 140 may now be discarded in an appropriate manner. Hand 146 forms no part of the present invention.

Never does the hand 146 or, for that matter, any other part of the user, not shown, come in contact with waste 140 during the use of the novel pickup tool 100. Neither does any part of pickup tool 100 come in contact with waste 140.

Since other modifications and changes varied to fit particular operating requirements and environments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure, and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures from the true spirit and scope of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be protected by Letters Patent is presented in the subsequently appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A pickup tool for pet waste or the like, comprising: a) an elongated, hollow body; b) a handle disposed at and connected to a distal end of said elongated hollow body; c) a trigger assembly disposed within said handle; d) a pair of pickup assemblies disposed proximate a distal end of said elongated hollow body, each of said pair of pickup assemblies being connected to sail elongated hollow body by a pair of flexible supports; and f) a pair of actuator links, each of said pair of actuator links having a distal end connected to one of said pair of pickup assemblies and a proximal end operatively connected to said trigger assembly, said pair of actuator links being at least partially disposed inside said elongated, hollow body.
 2. The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in claim 1, wherein said pair of pickup assemblies each comprises: i) a thin flat bottom blade having a front edge and an opposing rear edge; and ii) a back plate affixed to said rear edge of a respective thin flat bottom plate orthogonally thereto.
 3. The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in claim 2, wherein each of one of said pair of pickup assemblies is disposed with said respective front edges of said flat bottom blades facing one another.
 4. The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in claim 2, wherein said pair of flexible supports comprises thin, rectangular, resilient supports movable in a single plane, each of said pair of flexible supports has a distal end fastened to a respective one of said back plates proximate a mid-point along a major axis thereof and adjacent an upper edge thereof, and a distal end fastened to said elongated hollow body.
 5. The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in claim 1, further comprising: g) a hinge disposed in said elongated, hollow body separating said elongated hollow body into an upper body portion and a lower body portion.
 6. The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in claim 5, wherein said hinge is disposed at approximately a mid-point along a major axis of said elongated hollow body and said upper body portion and said lower body portion have approximately equal lengths when measured along a respective major axis thereof.
 7. A method for picking up and bagging pet waste or the like from a standing upright position, the steps comprising: a) providing a pickup tool for pet waste, comprising: an elongated, hollow body; a handle disposed at and connected to a distal end of said elongated hollow body; a trigger assembly disposed within said handle; a pair of pickup assemblies disposed proximate a distal end of said elongated hollow body, each of said pair of pickup assemblies being connected to said elongated hollow body by a pair of flexible supports; and a pair of actuator links, each of said pair of actuator links having a distal end connected to one of said pair of pickup assemblies and a proximal end operatively connected to said trigger assembly, said pair of actuator links, said pair of actuator links being at least partially disposed inside said elongated, hollow body; b) with said pair of pickup assemblies in a spaced-apart disposition, sliding a bottom edge of a flexible bag into an open space between to form an indented bag portion; c) when said bottom edge of a flexible bag is in place in said open space, lifting the top edges of said flexible bag upward over a lower portion of said pickup tool for pet waste; d) placing said indented bag portion over pet waste to be picked up; e) actuating said trigger mechanism to move said pickup assemblies toward one another until bottom plates of each of said pickup assemblies overlap one another; f) with said pickup assemblies maintained with said bottom blades in an overlapping disposition, pulling said upper edges of said flexible bag down from over said lower portion of said pickup tool for pet waste until all of said flexible bag with the exception of said indented bag portion supported by said pickup assemblies lies beneath said pickup tool, securing said pet waste in said indented portion of said flexible bag; and g) allowing said pickup assembly to separate by releasing said trigger mechanism and thereafter, removing said indented portion of said flexible bag. 